Canine idol: Shelter dogs vie for television role

TETERBORO, N.J. — Browny the Cavalier King Charles spaniel just could not sit still Tuesday while making his national television debut with The Weather Channel. The energetic pup scampered this way and...

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By
Chris Harris
Posted Jan. 17, 2014 @ 9:47 am

TETERBORO, N.J. — Browny the Cavalier King Charles spaniel just could not sit still Tuesday while making his national television debut with The Weather Channel.

The energetic pup scampered this way and that inside the Bergen County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, frantically sniffing outstretched hands and rolling around on the floor as a camera from the NBC-affiliated station devoted to Mother Nature’s mood swings rolled tape.

“He’s a prime candidate,” commented a member of the four-person production crew, as shelter personnel snapped behind-the-scenes photos of the TV shoot.

A segment set to air next week will feature Browny and five other adoptable pooches from the Teterboro shelter. All six are contenders in a nationwide search for what is being called The Weather Channel Therapy Dog.

The channel, partnering with the American Humane Association, will continue searching at shelters across the country this week, looking for a dog that can be trained by Amy McCullough.

McCullough, who will also adopt the animal into her home, is the AHA’s national director of animal-assisted therapy.

“She will train the winner to be a therapy dog,” said Kash Alexander, an executive producer for the channel. “We hope the dog will have a following, and that people follow his or her story.”

Producers are also visiting shelters in Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas and Denver.

McCullough and the winning animal will visit schools, hospitals, and shelters in the wake of natural disasters “to help comfort” those living in affected areas.

Deborah Yankow, the shelter’s manager, learned a little over a week ago that The Weather Channel would be visiting, giving the facility some national exposure.

“Any press is good,” Yankow said as McCullough took shots for the segment with a large mastiff named Cody.

Yankow said the shelter was included in the search because of its affiliation with the American Humane Association - strengthened in Superstorm Sandy’s wake.

Footage shot Tuesday will be shown sometime next week. Viewer voting starts Monday. The official naming of The Weather Channel Therapy Dog is Feb. 14.